Press Release: COVID-19 Update from Supervisor Gordon Mar

COVID-19 Update 3/18

I’m so proud of how our neighborhood has stepped up in the face of an unprecedented crisis. The challenges and uncertainty we’re facing are very real—and, we’re facing them together. And in many cases these trying times have brought out the best in our community and shown so much Sunset solidarity:

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A group of Sunset neighbors has come together to create the Sunset Neighborhood Help Group, an organic grassroots volunteer effort to make essential trips to help deliver food and supplies to our most vulnerable residents. If you need help or can offer it, you can get involved here, or by calling (415) 212-8770.

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Our office is calling the seniors in our district to make sure they have access to crucial information and to stay in touch with them and their needs. We’re able to work on these tens of thousands of calls thanks again to neighborhood volunteers.

And we’re working on emergency legislation to support workers losing income — I introduced a resolution yesterday pushing for local, state, and federal action, and we’ll have more to share on these efforts soon.

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Essential businesses are keeping their doors open (and socially distanced!), often operating at a loss to serve our community needs. Some are going above and beyond — Other Avenues, our longtime grocery co-op, is reserving it’s first hour of business from 9am to 10am for seniors and vulnerable shoppers.

So when you make those essential trips for food, medicine, or supplies, support our local businesses that are still open. They’re here for us, and we need to be here for them.

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And if it’s not an essential trip, make sure you stay home. (And watch this if you need to brush up on your hand-washing technique!)

The shelter in place order is extreme, and necessary to save lives. We have to “flatten the curve” of the spread of this virus to prevent our healthcare system from being overwhelmed, and it will take all of us staying committed to these measures to be successful.

Stay Updated:

As always, we are here to serve you. Contact our office at marstaff@sfgov.org if there’s any way we can help

, or call 311 for general questions.

Important Updates

· To protect our merchants, we’ve instituted a moratorium on evictions for small or mid sized businesses unable to pay rent due to the impacts of the coronavirus

· This morning, eight additional COVID-19 cases were reported in San Francisco, for a total of 51 confirmed cases.

· To focus our medical resources on addressing the crisis at hand, routine medical appointments and elective surgery are prohibited through April 7th

· Enforcement for street cleaning violations are now suspended, along with 72-hour parking limits and towing, residential permit parking permits, commuter shuttles, peak-hour tow-away zones, and street cleaning violations. Any tickets issued yesterday for these violations will be waived.

· The Governor extended the eligibility period by 90 days for Californians who participate in Medi-Calhealth coverage, CalFresh food assistance, CalWORKS, cash assistance for immigrants, and in-home supportive services.

· $1 Trillion COVID-19 Relief Package: The Senate approved a package to provide sick leave, unemployment benefits, free coronavirus testing, and food and medical aid to people affected by the pandemic. President Trump is expected to sign it.

· IRS Defers 2020 Tax Payments by 90 days Due to COVID-19: The Treasury Department and the Internal Revenue Service are providing special payment relief to individuals and businesses in response to the COVID-19 outbreak. The filing deadline for tax returns remains April 15, 2020. However, the payment deadline is now July 15, 2020.